Delusional belief that thoughts have been inserted into one's mind
Thought insertion is defined by the ICD-10 as the delusion that one's thoughts are not one's own, but rather belong to someone else and have been inserted into one's mind.[1][2][3][4] The person experiencing the thought insertion delusion will not necessarily know where the thought is coming from, but makes a distinction between their own thoughts and those inserted into their minds.[5] However, patients do not experience all thoughts as inserted; only certain ones, normally following a similar content or pattern.[1] A person with this delusional belief is convinced of the veracity of their beliefs and is unwilling to accept such diagnosis.[6]
Thought insertion is a common symptom of psychosis and occurs in many mental disorders and other medical conditions.[1] However, thought insertion is most commonly associated with schizophrenia. Thought insertion, along with thought broadcasting, thought withdrawal, thought blocking and other first rank symptoms, is a primary symptom and should not be confused with the delusional explanation given by the respondent. Although normally associated with some form of psychopathology, thought insertion can also be experienced in those considered nonpathological, usually in spiritual contexts, but also in culturally influenced practices such as mediumship and automatic writing.[1][2]
Some patients have also stated that at some point in time they were being manipulated by an exterior or interior force (depending on the delusion that the patient faced) and only later realized that thoughts weren't theirs; this is linked to patients "losing control" of what they do.[citation needed]
^World Health Organization (January 1992). Thought blocking and thought insertion are also terms developed by the mental health system and professionals to define a phenomenon describing a technique used with so-called "synthetic telepathy" operations. The ICD-10 classification of mental and behavioural disorders: clinical descriptions and diagnostic guidelines. World Health Organization. ISBN978-92-4-154422-1. Retrieved 16 December 2010.
^Xavier Francisco Amador; Anthony S. David (2004). Insight and psychosis: awareness of illness in schizophrenia and related disorders. Oxford University Press. pp. 67–69. ISBN978-0-19-852568-4. Retrieved 12 December 2010.